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2025 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 188
BY SENATOR STINE
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
AMUSEMENTS/SPORTS. Provides for restrictions on ticket sales. (8/1/25)
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 4:1, relative to ticket sales; to provide for the resale of tickets;
3 to provide for resale pricing; to provide for violations; to provide for unfair trade
4 practices; to provide for guarantees and refund policies; to provide for terms,
5 conditions, procedures, and definitions; and to provide for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 4:1 is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
8 ยง1. Unlawful to sell tickets for more than the price; total cost of tickets to be printed
9 on each; speculative ticket sales prohibited
10 A. For the purposes of this Section:
11 (1) "Resale" means the second or subsequent sale of a ticket. The term
12 includes a sale by any means, including in person, by telephone, by mail, by
13 email, by facsimile, or through a website or other electronic means.
14 (2) "Reseller" means a person engaged in the resale of tickets.
15 (3) "Secondary ticket exchange" means an electronic marketplace that
16 enables a person to sell, purchase, and resell tickets.
17 (4) "Speculative ticket" means a ticket that is not in the actual or
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1 constructive possession of a reseller at the time of sale, advertisement, or listing.
2 The term includes a ticket sold by a reseller that, at the time of resale, is not in
3 the physical possession of the reseller, owned by the reseller, or under contract
4 to be transferred to the reseller.
5 (5) "Ticket" means physical, electronic, or other evidence, that grants
6 the possessor of the evidence permission to enter a place of entertainment for
7 one or more events at a specified date and time.
8 B. All admission tickets to any athletic contest, dance, theater, concert,
9 circus, or other amusement shall have the price paid for the ticket, excluding order
10 processing and delivery charges, printed on the face of the ticket.
11 C. Except as provided in Subsection E of this Section:
12 (1) No person shall resell or offer to resell an admission ticket for an
13 amount in excess of the price printed on the face of the ticket.
14 (2) No person shall sell or offer to sell speculative tickets.
15 B.D.(1) Whoever violates this Section shall be fined not less than one
16 hundred dollars, nor more than five hundred dollars.
17 (2) In addition to the fines prescribed in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection,
18 a violation of this Section shall be a deceptive and unfair trade practice and
19 shall subject the violator to all penalties provided in the Unfair Trade Practices
20 and Consumer Protection Law, R.S. 51:1401 et seq.
21 C.E.(1) Nothing shall prohibit the resale or offering for resale via the internet
22 of an admission ticket, at any price, to an athletic contest, dance, theater, concert,
23 circus, or other amusement, if the ticket is provided that the ticket to the event is
24 not resold for an amount exceeding the price printed on the face of the ticket
25 plus all fees and taxes paid in connection with the initial ticket purchase. The
26 ticket to the event may be resold or offered for resale through any website or
27 secondary ticket exchange if such website's operator or secondary ticket exchange
28 guarantees a full refund of the amount paid for the ticket under each of the following
29 conditions:
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1 (1)(a) The ticketed event is canceled.
2 (2)(b) The purchaser is denied admission to the ticketed event, unless such
3 denial is due to the action or omission of the purchaser.
4 (3)(c) The ticket is not delivered to the purchaser in the manner described on
5 such website, by the secondary ticket exchange, or pursuant to the delivery
6 guarantee made by the reseller and such failure results in the purchaser's inability to
7 attend the ticketed event.
8 (2) A secondary ticket exchange may charge a fee to provide a
9 marketplace for the resale of a ticket. This fee shall not exceed ten percent of
10 the total price of the initial ticket purchase.
11 D.F. A website operator's or secondary ticket exchange's guarantee
12 pursuant to Subsection C E of this Section shall be posted on the operator's website
13 or by the secondary ticket exchange on it's website and a prospective purchaser
14 shall be directed to such guaranty before completion of the resale transaction.
15 E.G. A refund issued by a website operator or secondary ticket exchange
16 pursuant to any of the conditions provided for in Subsection C E of this Section shall
17 include any servicing, handling, or processing fees unless such fees are declared
18 nonrefundable under the terms of the guarantee.
19 F.H. The provisions of Subsection CE of this Section shall not apply to:
20 (1) University sports event tickets specially allocated to Louisiana legislators.
21 (2) Student tickets issued by Louisiana universities for sporting events.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Senate Legislative Services.
The keyword, summary, and digest do not constitute part of the law or proof
or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
DIGEST
SB 188 Original 2025 Regular Session Stine
Present law provides for the unlawful sale of tickets.
Present law provides that all admission tickets to any athletic contest, dance, theater, concert,
circus, or other amusement shall have the price paid for the ticket on the face of the ticket,
excluding processing and delivery charges.
Proposed law retains present law and provides that except as otherwise provided in law, no
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person shall resell or offer to resell an admission ticket for an amount in excess of the price
printed on the face of the ticket. Prohibits the sale or offer to sell speculative tickets.
Present law provides that nothing shall prohibit the resale or offering for resale online of an
admission ticket, at any price, to an athletic contest, dance, theater, concert, circus, or other
amusement, if the ticket is resold or offered for resale through any website if such website's
operation guarantees a full refund of the amount paid for the ticket under certain
circumstances.
Proposed law retains present law in part, but provides that the ticket may be resold only for
an amount not exceeding the price printed on the face of the ticket plus all fees and taxes
paid in connection with the initial ticket purchase. Provides that the ticket to the event may
be resold or offered for resale through any website or secondary ticket exchange if the
website's operator or exchange guarantees a full refund of the amount paid for the ticket
under certain circumstances.
Proposed law authorizes the secondary ticket exchange to charge for the service of providing
a marketplace for the resale of tickets, a fee not to exceed 10% of the total price of the initial
ticket.
Present law provides that a violation of present law shall result in the violator being fined
not less than $100 and not more than $500.
Proposed law retains present law and adds that any person who violates present law be
subject to all penalties provided in the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.
Present law provides for exceptions.
Proposed law retains present law exceptions.
Proposed law defines the terms "resale", "reseller", "secondary ticket exchange",
"speculative ticket", and "ticket".
Effective August 1, 2025.
(Amends R.S. 4:1)
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words in boldface type and underscored are additions.